Thousands rally for O.C. schools

March 5, 2010

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Students from Fullerton College march across Chapman Avenue near the college while demonstrating against cuts in the state's education funding Thursday in Fullerton. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Champ Clark, a technology teacher at Garden Grove's Lake Intermediate School, flashes a thumbs-up sign and a smile at passing cars on Beach Boulevard in Westminster on Thursday afternoon. About 200 teachers, students and parents attended the protest, one of a handful that took place across Orange County to protest state budget cuts to schools. SCOTT MARTINDALE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A protester is among hundreds of educators, parents and students across Orange County holding organized protests as districts move forward with plans to lay off hundreds of teachers, and slash millions of dollars in services. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Students raise their arms as as Russell Curry, a former UCI student, recites a rap titled "Fists In The Sky" as protesters rally in a demonstration opposing statewide budget cuts Thursday. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A Fullerton College student puts a sign on her face to protest against education cuts Thursday at the corner of Lemon Street and Chapman Avenue. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Members of the Placentia-Linda Educators Association join with students and faculty organized by United Faculty/North Orange County Community College District to demonstrate for education funding at Fullerton College. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A protester makes a statement with other members of the Placentia-Linda Educators Association, students and faculty organized by United Faculty/North Orange County Community College District to demonstrate for education funding at Fullerton College. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A student in the engineering building watches protesters as they try to coax students away from their classes to join the demonstration. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A Fullerton College band member plays as she crosses Chapman Avenue to join her bandmates who were taking part in a protest against state budget cuts in education. A small collection Fullerton police monitor the situation Thursday. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Members of the Placentia-Linda Educators Association join with students and faculty organized by United Faculty/North Orange County Community College District to demonstrate for education funding at Fullerton College. Hundreds of educators, parents and students across Orange County held organized protests at different location as districts move forward with plans to lay off hundreds of teachers, and slash millions of dollars in services. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Observers watch from a rooftop as protesters march along coaxing UC Irvine students to leave class and join a demonstration opposing statewide budget cuts. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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As the protesters moved into the streets, one throws a shopping cart onto Campus Drive as numbers swell to more than 800 at UC Irvine. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Jim Kelly, left, and Julie Rayburn, from Roosevelt Elementary, protest cuts to the education budget Thursday at Ball Road and State College Boulevard in Anaheim. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGI

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Educators and their supporters from Anaheim Elementary Education Association and Anaheim Secondary Teachers Association protest cuts to the education budget Thursday at Ball Road and State College Boulevard in Anaheim. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGI

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Roosevelt second-grade teacher Debbie Stevens walks across State College Boulevard carrying a sign in protest of proposed budget cuts to education Thursday. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGI

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According to teachers, the children in this car are students from an Anaheim school. They were waving in support of the teachers protesting budget cuts Thursday in Anaheim on the corner of State College and Ball Road. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGI

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A passenger in a public bus gives a thumbs-up to a student protester in Santa Ana Thursday as parents, teachers, and students demonstrated against state school budget cuts in different locations throughout Orange County. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Ikukuri Garcia and his mother, Michelle, joined more than a hundred teachers, parents and students to protest education state school budget cuts. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Students, parents and teachers gathered at the corner of 17th St and Bristol in Santa Ana to protest state school budget cuts. The demonstration is one of several held throughout the school district as they move forward with plans to layoff teachers and slash millions of dollars in services. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Jose Velasco, right, a student at Santa Ana College, said he wants to get the word out about budget cuts at the college. He and more than a hundred parents, teachers and students gathered at the corner of 17th St., and Bristol in Santa Ana to protest state school budget cuts. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Parents, teachers, students and the Red Dog shouted "no more cuts. We got dreams," as they demonstrated against state school budget cuts at a rally in Santa Ana on Thursday ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Teachers, parents and students hold up signs along busy Beach Boulevard at Trask Avenue in Westminster on Thursday to protest state budget cuts to public education. The two-hour protest attracted about 200 demonstrators. SCOTT MARTINDALE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Handmade and printed signs protesting state budget cuts to public education lay on the grass at a Garden Grove Unified rally Thursday afternoon. The rally was held along busy Beach Boulevard in Westminster, outside a Wal-Mart just south of the 22 Freeway. SCOTT MARTINDALE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Dora Shaieb, right, a friend of Garden Grove elementary school teacher Lori Adams, left, attends a rally Thursday afternoon in Westminster with her yellow labrador, Eli. Eli wore a sign around his neck that read, "No bones about it, students deserve better." SCOTT MARTINDALE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Rancho Alamitos High School teachers, from left, Ginny Adkins, Bill Welter and Bridget Lockhart hold up signs protesting state budget cuts to public education at a rally Thursday afternoon in Westminster. "We're out here to make people aware of the impending budget cuts that are going to affect everyone," said Lockhart, an English teacher at the Garden Grove school. SCOTT MARTINDALE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A protester stands on a shopping cart as they move into onto Campus Drive, numbers swell to more than 800 UC Irvine students leave class to join a demonstration opposing statewide budget cuts, Thursday, March 4. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNT

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Juarez Elementary educator Tammy Cayuela's glasses reflects the sign being held by Julie Torres also of Juarez Elementary as they protested budget cuts Thursday in Anaheim. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGI

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A protestor can be seen reflected in the door of a car waiting Thursday at Ball and State College Blvd in Anaheim. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGI

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Educators and their supporters from Anaheim Elementary Education Association and Anaheim Secondary Teachers Association protest cuts to the education budget Thursday at Ball and State College Blvd in Anaheim. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGI

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Students spill into traffic on Campus Drive as protester numbers have swelled to more than 800 at UC Irvine as students leave class to join a demonstration opposing statewide budget cuts, Thursday, March 4. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A Irvine city maintenance worker is upset with protesters for knocking down safety markers as students spill into traffic on Campus Drive. The maintenance worker put them back up himself. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Motorist and Orange Coast College student Cesear Mata of Irvine shows his support with a "High Five" as protesters stop traffic on University Drive in Irvine. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Members of the Placentia-Linda Educators Association, students and faculty organized protest funding cuts. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A large group of protesters and passing by students gather at UCI Thursday afternoon. deb1edeb via Twitter

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Protesters march at Cal State University Fullerton, Thursday afternoon. KathyTingTingYu via Twitter

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Protesters march at Cal State University Fullerton, Thursday afternoon. KathyTingTingYu via Twitter

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Four hundred to 500 students have gathered for a noon rally against statewide public education budget cuts at UC Irvine along Ring Road near the administration building. @hmltn, via Twitter

Orange County schools are grappling with about $327 million in budget cuts. The chart below will be updated throughout the process to give you the latest information on their progress.

Students from Fullerton College march across Chapman Avenue near the college while demonstrating against cuts in the state's education funding Thursday in Fullerton. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

More than 2,300 parents, teachers and students demonstrated against state school budget cuts Thursday afternoon, waving signs and urging cars to honk horns at different sites throughout Orange County.

About 400 demonstrators gathered in Laguna Hills, 200 in Westminster, 150 in Santa Ana and 50 to 60 in Buena Park. Events were held at eight different sites in Anaheim, making it hard to estimate numbers -- though they topped 500.

The day's biggest event, at UC Irvine, drew an estimated 800 students, while 200 more gathered near Fullerton College and about 40 or so rallied and marched at Cal State Fullerton.

The gatherings are being staged as part of a national Day of Action, with events also being held in other California communities and in other states.

Orange County school districts and county Department of Education cut deeply last year as state budget problems undercut funding. The county’s 27 school districts lost some $498 million in state funding last year; in response to the permanent funding downturns, they’re eyeing more than $327 million in cuts for next school year. (Click here for our database on local school cuts.)

So far, they are looking to cut salaries, implement furloughs, increase class sizes and drop summer school and afterschool programs to cut costs. Districts, including Newport-Mesa Unified and Santa Ana Unified, have also already approved cutting a combined 246 jobs.

The University of California and California State University systems have imposed furloughs on faculty and staff, sharply reduced course offerings, turned away thousands of qualified students and raised tuition by more than 30 percent. The cost of attending the state's community colleges has also risen.

Hundreds of teachers, parents and even some students from at least four school districts that serve Anaheim waved signs, pounded on noise makers and shouted to passing motorists – many of whom honked car horns and gave thumbs up out car windows.

The local protesters said budget cuts have gotten so deep that they are severely threatening their ability to provide students with the kind of education that will prepare them to be successful in college and in adulthood.

"These aren't temporary cuts anymore. This is money that is going away and staying away," said Dean Elder, an award-winning science teacher at Anaheim High School and an educator for 25 years.

He marched with about 75 others at Ball Road and Harbor Boulevard, in the shadow of Disneyland.

"We need to have an educated workforce and this is not the way to get there," Elder said.

Ryan Ruelas, a history teacher at Anaheim High, said he hopes that motorists passing by will be more alert to the problems facing education and consider lobbying local and state representatives for change.

"I think a lot of people down here in Southern California just aren't aware enough about what's going on in schools," he said. "We're trying to make them aware – this is affecting their future."

More than 200 people in all stood at each corner of Magnolia Avenue and Ball Road around 4 p.m. At that intersection, teachers were joined by scores of elementary school children, some holding signs that read "Save My Teacher's Job."

"I want people to know that I have a right to an education and I want them to help save my school," said Tatiana Gonzalez, 12, a sixth grader at Maxwell Elementary School in Anaheim's Magnolia School District.

Laguna Hills

About 400 students, teachers and administrators from the Capistrano and Saddleback Valley unified school districts attempted to snare the attention and support of passing motorists at the four corners at Alicia Parkway and Paseo de Valencia in front of the Laguna Hills Community Center.

They held signs saying "SOS -- Save our Schools," "Help our children, no more school cuts" and "No School Left Behind."

Students from Laguna Hills, El Toro, Mission Viejo and Trabuco Hills High circulated through the intersection, jumping and waving signs at motorists while the Laguna Hills High School band played and the Laguna Hills Hawk mascot jumped at the intersection.

"Save our school," screamed Bella Sheafer, 10, a fourth-grader at Olivewood Elementary in Lake Forest. "We like our teachers and we want our school to be safe from budget cuts. We want to learn life skills."

"I spend a tremendous amount of my own money to run my own program," said Valerie Ralston, a kindergarten teacher at Oso Grande Elementary in Ladera Ranch. "I'm still buying furniture for my classroom. If my husband knew how much money I've spent, he would kill me."

Gregg Swenson, president of Saddleback Valley Educators Association, said the teachers want people to know education is grossly underfunded.

"Education has taken the biggest hit. We're 40 percent of the state budget; we're taking 70 percent of the cuts. It really hurts. Every cut now is a person or a classroom.

Westminster

Some 200 demonstrators gathered along both sides of busy Beach Boulevard at Trask Avenue in Westminster while another 150 set up at 17th and Bristol streets in Santa Ana.

"The people out here are very positive,” she said. “They are conveying support for education, they are not pointing fingers at anyone, and I'm very proud they are sending a very positive message.”

Michelle Nguyen, 10, held a home-made sign reading “No more cuts to kids.”

"Teachers need jobs and kids need to learn,” said the fifth-grader, who attends Westminster’s Webber Elementary School. “We don't have as many supplies and kids have to buy school supplies on their own."

Teachers carried hand-made signs reading “Speak up for students," "Stand up for schools; no more cuts!” and “Advocate for our students.”

“We’re out here to make people aware of the impending budget cuts that are going to affect everyone,” said Bridget Lockhart, an English teacher at Garden Grove’s Rancho Alamitos High School and an 11-year educator. “It hasn’t reached our district as deeply as others – we are fiscally conservative – but already our department budgets have been cut 75 percent.”

Schwalm, who has been Garden Grove Unified’s superintendent for 11 years, said the district’s class sizes have already risen to 22 kids for grades one through three – up from 20 kids. Next year, they’ll likely rise to 24 kids each.

She added that teachers and other employee groups have already agreed to “significant concessions” on their health benefits, meaning they’ll pay more next year for the same coverage.

“I really feel like these budget cuts are affecting the kids way too much,” said Maria Hernandez, a fifth-grade teacher at Westminster’s Webber Elementary and a 20-year educator.

Santa Ana

Santa Ana's event was similar. Protesters wore blue shirts and other attire to signify that “It’s a sad day for education.” Scores of cars whizzing by the busy intersection honked in support of the cause.

“We want to encourage people to question what’s going on right now in public education,” said organizer Susan Mercer, president of the Santa Ana Educators Association.

The teachers union passed out signs that read “We are public schools and California’s future.”

Marlene Flores, a freshman at Santa Ana College, said she's worried the growing cost to attend public colleges and universities could limit her choices when she transfers.

“There is already a shortage of classes, and it’s going to take me longer to transfer,” she said. “And I’m not sure I’m going to be able to afford to attend scools like UC Berkeley because the tuition is going to be too high.”

Protester Norma Garcia, a first-grade teacher at Monte Vista Elementary said she’s worried she may receive a layoff notice next week because of the ongoing budget cuts.

“Teachers are working harder for less pay,” she said. “With these cuts, we’re burning the candle at both ends, working Saturdays, and through our breaks.”

The K-12 protests, organized by teacher and other employee unions, are an attempt to focus attention on the state cuts expected to cost O.C.'s districts at least $327 million. Schools must prepare their 2010-11 budgets for a first review March 15, the same date they must send layoff warnings to certificated staff, including teachers.

That means planning cuts before knowing the final state budget, which often pushes districts to plan for worst-case scenarios.

Buena Park

About 50 to 60 people, mostly teachers from the Centralia and Buena Park elementary districts, attended the Buena Park event.

Teachers said cuts will hit hard especially in the primary grades as class sizes rise.

Protesters also gathered in Huntington Beach and Cypress for the afternoon protests.

Sherry Monarcky, a U.S. history teacher at Cypress High School, said her students already can't get the supplies they need. Further cuts mean furlough days and less time in the classroom for students, Monarcky said.

"But we're still held to the same (educational) standards," the teacher said.

UC Irvine

At its height, more than 800 protesters marched along Ring Road and blocked traffic at Campus Drive on Thursday, following a smaller march and rally. The event began about noon, but stretched past 4 p.m. after students left class to join the effort.

About 30 to 40 of the protesters marched into Langson Library at UCI about 3 p.m. shouting "Whose university? Our university!"

Some students used chairs and couches to partially block the entrance of the library. But a few minutes later the students marched out.

From there some of the protesters went into the Gateway Student Center. The bulk of the protesters remained outside.

Protesters then marched to the UCI administration building. Protesters then marched to the UCI administration building. They were locked out of the building so they began pounding on the windows. About a dozen police officers were inside wearing protective gear.

Their demonstrator numbers dwindled until, about 3:50 p.m. some 200 sat or stood by the administration building to hear speakers passing a bullhorn around and discussing school budget cuts, racism and other topics.

Cal State Fullerton

Cal State's event drew just over 40 students, who marched through campus bearing signs and chanting slogans, such as "They say cutback, we say fight back."

"We're here today because we believe that to improve California economically, socially and politically, we need to educate the masses," said senior Joel Chavez, a chicano studies major. "The best system in the world is the CSU system, or at least it used to be."

Students said the rally was small but many of the students had joined the much larger protest in Irvine.

State budget cuts have led to higher fees and reductions in enrollment and course offerings at California schools.

In response to a 20 percent reduction in state funding, the University of California and California State University systems have imposed furloughs on faculty and staff, sharply reduced course offerings, turned away thousands of qualified students and raised tuition by more than 30 percent.

Earlier Thursday, honking cars, blaring band instruments and chanting students raised the noise levels at Chapman Avenue and Lemon Street in Fullerton as early 200 Fullerton College students and faculty turned out to protest state budget cuts.

The demonstrators gathered at all four corners of the intersection as their numbers quickly swelled, chanting “Our Future, Our Choice,” and encouraging cars to honk their horns in support.

The Fullerton College band showed up, too, and performed for the crowd while students carried signs that read “Wake Up! Your Future is at Stake.”

“This is such a great turnout,” student Melissa Clayton said. “People in Sacramento have to hear and see what all of us have to say.”

Organizers also passed out doughnuts, bottled water and other snacks for the protesters, while about a half dozen Fullerton College Police officers kept a close eye on the event.

Other signs read “Stop balancing the budget of the backs of students” and “17 billion cut to education in 2 years.”

“We're here as students to say enough is enough,” Fullerton College student Jesse Garcia, 20, said. “These budget cuts are not only affecting K through 12, they're affecting all of education.”

Garcia said he is worried Fullerton will cut 350 to 400 classes class next year and that community college tuition will rise to $40 a unit from $26.

English lecturer Linda Borla, who helped recruit other faculty to participate in the protest through e-mails and phone calls, marched alongside many of her students.

“We need to defend public education. California’s future depends on it,” she said.

English lecturer Robert Lundergan said he encouraged students in his morning classes to attend the rally.

“Nice to see people out with the activism spirit again,” said Robert Lundergan, who said he organized protests in college and earlier in his career.

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